Home Made Nasal Wash For Chronic Sinus Sufferers

Please be aware that the title specifies "wash", not cure. Also be aware from the start that this mixture contains no medication, is not intended to cure or even improve any illness, disease or injury. It is simply a spray wash to help cleanse the nasal passages and sinus cavities which helps relieve many of the undesirable symptoms.

Everyone is familiar with the array of nasal sprays on the market. Most of them contain medications, (usually some type of antihistamine) which may even be dangerous if you have certain other ailments. I smoked cigarettes for over 40 years which either caused me to have horrible sinuses or at least worsened them. But I also had an enlarged prostate and was subject to periodic infections of that gland. All doctors will caution you not to use any antihistamines if you have an enlarged prostate. There are also possibilities of problems from antihistamines if you have heart disease, high blood pressure or thyroid disease. And not only that, antihistamines are in those solutions to dry up the secretions from the nasal region, and if you use enough to help with that, it causes those passages to be dry and even painful (at least to me it did). And excessive use of antihistamines can also dry other portions of the body, skin, etc. So, I marked them off my list many years ago.

I then started using some of the saline solution nasal sprays which did not have the antihistamines or other chemicals that have side effects. And they are alright for what value you get from them. They do add ingredients, which I will explain below. Most all of them are basically water and salt but they will list the salt by its chemical components. They normally taste like salty water, which they are. And so is mine but we'll explain the difference shortly. They are expensive enough that one cannot afford to use a bottle every day or so which means that you have to simply delicately spray up each nostril which helps if you are suffering from dry and irritated nasal passages, but does practically nothing for clogged up passages and sinuses with thick mucus and even crusts, etc.

My solution recipe is for making one pint and in that pint of water, I do add one, 1 ounce bottle of 4way Saline Moisturizing Mist nasal spray. And I'll explain that also. Let me give you the ingredients listed on their container which is very similar to most other saline sprays with one exception. Theirs contains Eucalyptol and Menthol. I add that simply because the menthol gives the nasal membranes a cool refreshing feeling. It also makes it feel as though you can breathe easier. I don't know if that is a fact or just a feeling. If one were able to get their hands on some oil of menthol, simply by adding a few drops of it into my recipe could replace the bottle of nasal mist. But I have been unable to find it except for large suppliers who sell it in bulk. I only need a small bottle at a time. If any readers know where it can be purchased in small amounts, let me know.

Here are 4 way's ingredients: Water, Boric Acid, Glycerin, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Borate, Eucalyptol, Menthol, Polysorbate 80, Benzalkonium Chloride. Most of those ingredients, especially the chlorides are the chemicals which are contained in salt. Boric acid is a very weak acidic substance often used as an antiseptic in mouth washes, etc. Glycerin is a humectant naturally occurring in vegetables and is used in soap making and also skin lotions. It causes the water to breakdown into minute droplets and also soothes the skin. Polysorbate 80 is similar to Glycerin. As I said above, I only add this bottle to gain the benefits of the menthol. So, here is my recipe:

1 pint room temperature water

1 ounce 4-way saline mist nasal spray

1 tablespoon glycerin

2 teaspoons salt

Stir until salt is completely dissolved. Pour into small spray bottles.

I save my nasal spray bottles and wash them thoroughly before refilling. The little spray nozzle can be removed for refilling by sliding a thin blade under the edge and prying up all around. I also fill them almost full, about twice as much liquid as normally comes in them. To use it for maximum effectiveness, I lean my head over to the left and spray hard into the right nostril, lean to the right and spray into the left nostril. This puts out enough liquid to flush out most of the secretions. If necessary I repeat this procedure. I do that before retiring at night and again upon rising the next morning.

One word of explanation, the exact measurements I've listed above are somewhat discretionary in that you can use more or less (within reason) of either one of them. I have now started to add another cup (8 ounces) of water then increase the salt and glycerin very slightly but still use only one bottle of 4-way. This makes the menthol slightly weaker than I like, but I have accumulated 12 bottles, and one pint won't refill that many. If you don't have any extra spray bottles around, you may refill the 4-way bottle you've just emptied and store the rest of the solution in a pint jar with the lid on tight. I keep any excess in the refrigerator. I really don't know if that is necessary or not, but it makes me feel better about it.